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An interview with Lea Davison, December 3, 2008

A breakthrough season

After six years racing as a professional mountain biker, this season the affable
Lea Davison (Trek / VW) started to see results that seemed to her a long time
in coming. With her accomplished teammate Sue Haywood retiring from World Cup
and national series racing scene, the 25-year-old Davison is the most likely
heir-apparent to fill the void. Dave McElwaine recently caught up with Davison
while she was at home in Vermont.

Davison first raised eyebrows earlier this year when she won both the short
track and super
D races at the Sea Otter Classic in April. Although some top racers were
away at the UCI World Cup round in Houffalize, Belgium, the wins boosted Davision's
confidence. She followed with several podium appearances throughout the National
Mountain Bike Series (NMBS).

At the World
Championships cross country race in Val di Sole, Italy, in June, Davison
surprised many with a 19th place finish in a field stacked with Olympic hopefuls.
In fact, she finished one position ahead of Mary McConneloug, who represented
the US in Beijing, China.

Racing in July on her home course at Mt. Snow, Vermont, amid deafening cheers
from her large cadre of fans, she finished third in the short
track behind Katie Compton (Spike) and Olympian Mary McConneloug (Kenda/Seven).
She also beat the nearly invincible Georgia Gould (Luna Women's MTB Team). What
followed her performance was a sort of "coming out party" with her
supporters on hand.

In Bromont, Canada, Davison then notched her first top-ten World
Cup result. Horrific, deeply muddy conditions must have reminded Davison
of racing in her native Vermont. The course was so treacherous that multi-time
World Champion Gunn-Rita Dahle Flesjaa opted not to race rather than risk injury
that could affect her Olympic goals.

Davison also clocked an impressive third overall at the inaugural American
Mountain Classic stage race held at 11,000 ft. in Brian Head, Utah. Finally,
in her proudest accomplishment of the season, she won the NMBS short track there
ahead of one of the best racers of that discipline, Katerina Nash (Luna Women's
MTB Team).

Growing up racing

"I love World Cup racing. It's aggressive, technical, and punchy.
You have to be on the gas the entire time, and if you scrub one corner,
five girls will pass you. I tend to thrive under that intensity.

- Lea Davison on World Cup Mountain
Bike Racing

The well-liked, good-humored Davison often jokes around and seems to take disappointment
in stride. She has inspired her peers and up and coming young racers with her
infectious smile and friendly personality.

"One thing that I really love about Lea is her level of enthusiasm. As,
I was winding down my career, she really infused her youth, energy and work
ethic into mine. She is humble, but she doesn't hide it when she has done well.
She pumps her hands in the air, gives a big smile and then says how stoked she
is," said teammate Haywood.

"She makes everyone want to share her joy when she does well," said
Haywood. "You will never see Lea throw her bike in a tantrum like some
racers her age. She is a great sportswomen and a real role model for younger
riders."

Davison credits her sister and training partner, Sabra, with much of her success.
Growing up in a small Vermont town, the pair often raced against the boys because
the women's fields were small. In local races, the two were determined to beat
the boys. "They used to start us with the boys, so catching and passing
them fuelled the fire," said Sabra.

"Lea and I have always been competitive. Whether it was sidewalk chalk
or running around the neighborhood when we were younger, it was a battle to
the death," she said of her relationship with Lea.

"There are two things that our coach can say that get Lea and me going
fast: 'Work together or attack each other'. I have never, in my life, pushed
harder on the bike then on workouts that I've done with Lea."

Growing up, the Davisons raced as the only women on the 17-person Team Devo
junior squad. Coach John Kemp motivated everyone by telling the boys that if
the girls clocked faster laps, the boys would owe them a meal. "Lea ate
well that season," joked Sabra.

After junior days, the sisters attended Middlebury College where they continued
to train together. Sabra urged Lea toward Nordic skiing, and they competed throughout
college. Davison's continues to ski to build her aerobic base in the off-season,
and her downhill skiing background also comes in handy on technical and high-speed
descents.

What follows are excerpts from an interview with Lea Davison.

Cyclingnews: What were your goals at the beginning of this season?
Did your 2008 success meet or exceed those goals?

Lea Davison: The 2008 season went above and beyond my expectations.
I knew I had it in me, but I think I surprised my coach and myself. At the beginning
of the season, my goals were to be a consistent NMBS podium contender.

CN: What factors do you attribute to your steady improvement over the
past couple seasons?

LD: I have worked ridiculously hard for the past two years under my
coach, Andy Bishop. Those dividends hopefully have to pay off at some point.
I also attribute part of my improvement to being on the couch with a dislocated
elbow and mono for about five months during the 2006 season. I learned a lot
during the time. I got a new appreciation for cycling and, being out that long
definitely sparked a new type of motivation.

I've been going into every race extremely hungry. We train for four months
straight for a relatively few number of mountain bike races. You have to make
the most of every opportunity that you have.

CN: What kind of advantage has it been to have Sue Haywood as a teammate?

LD: It's been a huge advantage having Sue show me the ropes.
My nickname on the team is "Lambie" or "little lamb chop"
because she has shepherded me around the race circuit. Plus, she's a blast to
travel and race with. I'll definitely miss her on the circuit.

CN: You told CN that you had targeted that National Championship Short
Track race from the beginning of the season. Why the short track?

LD: I was targeting the National Championships race in general (both
short track and cross country) from the beginning of the season. Mount Snow
is my home course, it's technical and climby, and it plays to my strengths.
My short track success has been an unexpected bonus to the season.

CN: What was your most rewarding race of the 2008 season, and why?

LD: Winning my first National race at the NMBS Finals in Brian Head,
Utah. It's great to get a win with the best US talent racing and an amazing
way to cap off the season.

CN: Was there a point during the past couple years where you said to
yourself "Hey, I can ride with these girls!"

LD: I think my first mental breakthrough race was 2007 National Championships
at Mount Snow. I started out with the top girls and said, "I'm going to
risk a little bit and stay with these girls for as long as I can." I rode
with Sue, bumped elbows with some of my idols, and scored my first top ten.
I was like, "Finally, a top ten". It was a relief in some respect.
I had been riding pro for six years with that goal in mind and I finally accomplished
it.

CN: You have been donating time to the Little Bella organization. How
did that begin, and has it been successful relationship?

LD: My sister, Sabra, and I noticed a lack of females on the start lines.
With the overarching goals of wanting to get more girls on bikes and to empower
girls through cycling, we created the Little Bellas. We joined forces with Angela
Irvine from the Bellaship, a Vermont women's cycling network, in the fall of
2007 because she had the same goals.

It's been a great learning experience, and, through collaboration with our
accomplished mentors, we have evolved into a successful program. In our initial
year, we had fifteen girls ages 7-12 years old and twelve mentors. In 2008,
we had to cap our participation number at 40 girls and now we have a wait list.
There's been a phenomenal response. We are laying a solid foundation for our
program functioning in Vermont at the local level, and, once that happens, we
plan to expand the Little Bellas nationally.

CN: With Sue Haywood moving on to endurance and stage racing, you are
still left with a strong women's team of Mical Dyck, Emily Batty, and Jenny
Smith. Do you feel that in the future you will become a force to be reckoned
with, much as the Luna women are today?

LD: Yes, there is definitely that potential for Trek/VW with the experience
of Jenny Smith and the developing talents of myself, Mical, and Emily.

CN: Your family, particularly your sister, seem to be passionate about
your racing. Were they always part of your racing career as you were growing
up?

LD: My family has been amazingly supportive throughout every one of
my competitive endeavors, and they fully supported my goal to become a full
time professional mountain biker. There's no question that I wouldn't be here
without their support.

My sister has played an important role because she is my training partner.
There's no better training partner than Sabe because we're equally matched and
are extremely competitive. We've pushed each other so hard in workouts that
almost always in a race I say to myself "Okay, this isn't as hard as that
time trial I did with Sabe. I can go harder". You have to love sibling
rivalry. Plus, the most important thing is she's my best friend so it makes
training really fun.

A four-hour ride in the pouring Vermont rain isn't that bad when we are singing
and rapping to each other. She's really good at rapping.

CN: What are your off-season training plans?

LD: I plan to go with almost the same plan as last year. I'm going to
lift weights in the early winter, cross country ski almost every day in December
and January to gain fitness, and add some downhill skiing in there for fun.

In the winter months, I also do yoga and indoor rock climbing to balance out
my body. The only change is I'm going to be on the bike earlier this winter.
I'm going somewhere in February, possibly Colorado, and get my cycling legs
underneath me. Maybe I'll train with Georgia (Gould), and I'll discover she
has some secret rapping talent.

CN: You did well at the American Mountain Classic Stage Race this year.
Do you plan to enter more stage races next season?

LD: Stage racing gives a great boost in fitness, and there's definitely
a time and place for it. They're usually great adventures and produce great
stories. It's not my priority.

I would like to do BC Bike Race. The American Mountain Classic Stage Race put
up equal prize money for women, so I like to support promoters who are doing
the right thing. If more promoters showed equality in men and women's prize
money, I would support their efforts and attend their races.

CN: Are there any weaknesses are you working on?

LD: I put most of my energy into becoming a more powerful rider.

CN: What's your 2009 schedule?

LD: World Cups will be a priority. I won't go to the opener in South
Africa, but I'll race the European and North American World Cups. I'll race
the NMBS races that don't conflict with World Cups.

CN: How do the World Cup courses and style of racing suit you compared
to domestic races?

LD: I love World Cup racing. It's aggressive, technical, and punchy.
You have to be on the gas the entire time, and if you scrub one corner, five
girls will pass you. I tend to thrive under that intensity. I also really enjoy
domestic racing because the level of competition is high. If you can win a NMBS,
you can podium at a World Cup. We're lucky to have that level of competition
at home. I just really like racing.

CN: Have you decided on specific 2009 goals?

LD: I would like to be more of a consistent World Cup contender.

CN: You will be 29 when the 2012 Olympics come around, which seems to
be a perfect age to be at the top of your game. Is making the 2012 Olympic Team
one of your primary long term goals?